The Ending of the Reign
by PennyLane125
Summary: Secret details about that horrible night are revealed. Looks like Rome is screwed...Chapter 4!
1. Quintus' Orders

Commodus kept repeatedly slashing at Maximus with his knife. Every time he did, the gallant Roman solider would back away, losing all his strength slowly. While Lucilla watched from her balcony, sick with fear of the outcome of the spontaneous battle, she didn't have to hide the expression on her face from fear anymore. She gazed down at the ground, with a look of terror and helplessness. The two warriors couldn't fight forever. And when the match ended, the princess knew that one of them would be lying in the blood-spattered sand, dead. Lucius was sitting in his chair at her side, gripping the arms, not quite sure of the absolute madness that his uncle was going through, just for power over the Roman empire.  
Lucilla couldn't stand it anymore. She rushed to the edge of the balcony and gripped her shaking hands on the edge. As she stared down, she could see Quintus, standing on the inside of the vast circle that Commodus' Praetorian had formed, holding their immense shields. He was staring out at the sick swordfight with no expression on his face.  
  
Lucilla bit her lip in anger. This man had once been so loyal to Maximus. How dare he turn on him like that and give out the order for his wife and son to be killed? She knew he had only done it to save his own skin and what kind of warrior - soldier - did that, to his commanding officer?  
Quintus suddenly caught eyes with Lucilla. He looked at her and she looked back, pleading with her eyes to stop the fight. It was becoming more intense, drawing down to the final minutes and something had to be done soon. There were no longer any sounds of the clanging swords; only her brother's angry grunts as he tried to slash Maximus with his knife, who was stumbling through the whole thing. Both their swords lay in the sand, forgotten.  
  
All at once, everything seemed to happen so fast. Quintus suddenly marched out into the circle and the entire Coliseum fell silent. The cries of the people silenced, as they watched Quintus yell out to the Praetorian. Then, all of the - at least, forty of them - soldiers closed in on the warriors at once. It was a swarm of black as they advanced on Commodus, who fell to the ground as Maximus heavily punched him. They both looked around at the swarm, in confusion. Commodus leapt up and frantically tried to command the soldiers. "What are you doing?" he was yelling. "What are you doing?"  
  
They paid him no mind. Lucilla watched in awe as her brother lost his power and authority over his once violently obedient henchmen. They grabbed him around the arms and he struggled with all of his might to be free. But it was of no use. They dragged him away as he screamed at them to let him go. As one, they all marched off the battlefield and burst through the doors that led underneath the mighty Coliseum to where the rest of the prisoners were kept captive. The entire arena was silent except for Commodus' continuous screams which echoed away into his soon-to-be prison, Lucilla knew.  
  
She felt tears running down her face and her eyes traveled back to Maximus who the Praetorian had not touched. He was swaying back and forth, trying to keep his balance. A thick line of blood was running from under his armor and had almost reached his sandals. Commodus must have done something to him, she thought. It was incredible at the level of hatred she was feeling for her brother at this time.  
  
The far doors of the arena opened and Lucilla gasped as all of the gladiators that she had watched, had seen fight along Maximus, rushed out, running toward Maximus who looked almost near collapse. Juba, Maximus' closest friend, reached him first. He stopped in front of Maximus and reached out towards his shoulder.  
  
And that was when he collapsed into Juba's arms. A hoarse cry escaped Lucilla and Lucius came up to her and threw his arms around her middle. She moaned again and squeezed her son's shoulders. Juba held up Maximus and yelled at someone to come help. Haken ran over and took Maximus' left arm over his shoulder. Was he still alive?  
  
The other gladiators came over, and helped drag the Roman soldier off the grounds. But before the immense doors swallowed the pack up, Lucilla faintly saw Maximus turn his head to look back at her. He was alive! Her tears increased and she looked up at the heavens and thanked them for allowing him to live, alive and still a soldier.  
* * *  
  
Above the top of the Coliseum, the sun was still rising. 


	2. The Cell

The cries of his people had silenced and now he could hear nothing over his own shrill screams. They were gripping him as tightly as he imagined that they gripped Maximus. This common man was not worthy of their respect. All he was, was a mere gladiator. No longer a general, who commanded the Roman army. And now, they applauded him, over their own emperor!  
Commodus continued to thrash around. When Quintus had given the order for him to be arrested, he had said it in a cruel way. Commodus had looked at him with such anger but had lost sight of him when the Praetorian had grabbed him up. Now he was being dragged down this dark hall, as the ground underneath his trembling feet grew steeper and the frustration inside his head and his heart threatened to overtake him.  
Through a set of carved wooden doors and finally into a deserted cell, which reeked of death. The young emperor was thrown inside and shown no mercy as the door to his cell was tightly locked. Commodus looked up at two large soldiers, who he recognized as two once extremely obedient bodyguards, by the names of Thelonius and Marcus. They peered down at him, dark and silent.  
Commodus started to shake even more violently. His father's last words kept echoing in his head, taunting him.  
"Your faults as a son, is my failure as a father."  
Commodus fought back tears. It is his fault, he thought bitterly. He wrapped his arms around himself and rocked back and forth on the cold ground. He heard footsteps stop in front of his jail cell and slowly looked up to look into the eyes of Quintus. A hot bubble of anger rose in his throat and he stood up, still slightly weeping.  
"You." he stammered. "You were the one I trusted. You gave the order for his death!" he shrieked. "And now here I lie, trapped in the cell. I command you to release me!"  
There was no expression on Quintus' face as he spoke. "You are in here for the murder of the Meridas family, several Senators and His Highness, Marcus Aurelius."  
Commodus grabbed the steel bars that seperated the two. "Let me out!" he hissed. "I'm the emperor!"  
"You are hereby stripped of your title as Roman Emperor and will be sentenced on the eve of the twenty-second day of this month."  
Commodus gripped the bars in desperation. "You fool! To continue to serve that man out there will only get you killed. You turned on him, so he will turn on you!"  
Quintus turned and strode out of the prison. Commodus rattled the bars and the two Praetorian standing on either side of him reached through and pushed him onto the floor. He fell back and kept yelling after Quintus who did not look back. And when his throat felt hoarse, he slumped against the wall and let out a cry of despair that echoed against the dank walls and followed Quintus all the way up to the Royal Lady Lucilla's room, where she waited in fear.  
* * * *  
"My Lady."  
Lucilla stood up from her bed and wiped her eyes. Lucius was asleep, in his room. She straightened her shawl and locked eyes with Quintus. "Where is my brother?" she asked.  
"He is locked away, under the Praetorian's watchful eye."  
Lucilla swallowed hard. "How many?" she choked out.  
Quintus hesitated. "Two," he mumbled. He looked at the floor but raised them back up again when Lucilla hissed at him.  
"Only two?" She stalked over to face him, until she was no more than three feet from him. "You know what he is capable of!"  
Quintus did not reply. Lucilla put her face in her hands and let out a sob; the first one she had emitted in someone's presence since her father died. Quietly, she paced around the room, biting her lip and not daring to think what would happen to Lucius if Commodus escaped his prison. She turned back to Quintus and inquired about Maximus.  
"He is presently being watched over by palace matrons in the Emperor's room," replied Quintus. He cringed when he saw Lucilla's eyes at this statement. They glinted with clear venom.  
"I want him removed from that room immediately," she barked. "Lock that room and do not let anyone enter, do you understand?" She took off down the hallway towards where the soldier lay. Quintus did not follow her.  
* * * *  
Maximus' vision was growing faint and Juba's soothing voice grew blurry. There was no feeling in his lower back where Commodus had stabbed him. That moment had seemed so long ago. Where was the emperor now?  
Juba yelled out over his shoulder. "He's losing blood!" Several matrons and other servants crowded around the wounded soldier who was strewn across the bed, lying almost still. He wasn't speaking and moving around less and less. Two servants were unbuckling his armor which was drenched in his and Commodus' blood. Another was dousing the wound with herbs and trying to stop the flow of blood with a thick cloth.  
Juba gripped his friends hand and prayed to the God's that he would not leave this life yet. This gladiator could give so much to this city, thought Juba. Two tears leaked out his eyes and he bowed his head, kneeling on the floor next to the bed. "Strength and honor," he whispered, staring at the floor. His head was swimming.  
"Strength and honor," whispered Maximus. Juba looked up in amazement. Maximus was looking at him, struggling to pull back from death. Juba smiled and gripped Maximus' hand harder still. 


	3. Gracchus' Visit

Lucilla strode down the hall, with a horrible tugging at the back of her mind. Maximus was lying in her brother's chamber, a place where no one but herself and the servants had ventured into. It was just a room, but it was her brother's. She shuddered. He had to leave as quickly as possible.  
She reached the doors to the royal chamber and threw the doors open. Her eyes immediately flew towards the bed where only the night before, Commodus had laid her down on and tried to sleep with her. It sickened her to think about it and made her stomach turn with disgust. Maximus was lying under the covers, with one of the gladiators, a dark-skinned tall man sitting beside the bed. His head was bowed and he seemed to be saying a prayer. How Lucilla felt like praying now was immense. The Numedean looked up at the princess. He stood and bowed, though he was stiff, like he hadn't done that sort of thing before. Lucilla felt a twinge of pity; the man had spent a lot of his time as a hunter and not amongst royalty so everything in the palace must have been strange and new.  
Lucilla walked over to Maximus and all the servants quickly left the room. Juba was reluctant to leave and gave Lucilla a pleading look. She nodded at him and he sat back down without bowing in thanks but Lucilla was so preoccupied she didn't notice.  
A lady-in-waiting entered the room and stood by the door.  
Lucilla sat down, still maintaining every bit of her grace. "Maximus?" she whispered. "Are you - ?"  
"He is asleep," interrupted Juba. "The bleeding has passed."  
Lucilla choked back a tear. Juba peered curiously at her. "What did he do to you? The emperor," asked Juba.  
"Do you know who you're talking to?" barked Lucilla. "I am still the emperor's sister! Still a royal!"  
Juba didn't respond but just bowed his head and sat back in his chair. Lucilla felt some of her anger fade but she knew it wasn't towards the slave. Her brother deserved the wrath. She sat back too and avoided eye contact with him. Maximus was breathing steadily and looked peaceful. Lucilla reached up towards his face and ran her fingers over his brow which was sticky from sweat and blood. She drew back and drew her shawl around her.  
"In my country, everyone is in poverty," said Juba. "I have never been inside this palace and I wish I could see more." He paused and looked at Lucilla who was staring at the floor but he could see she was listening intently. "But I am so concerned with my friends health that I could see all the rooms of this palace and not care at all." He looked at the floor. "You also seem to care about this man, my Lady."  
Lucilla stared at him and fingered her dress. "A long time ago," she whispered, remembering what Maximus had said to her in his cell. Was that also just last night? And now all the senators except Gracchus were dead. What would happen to Rome now? She swallowed hard and tried to smile at the gladiator but found she could not. Her lower lip trembled and she held back an incredible sob that had been inside her ever since her father's murder. All her fear threatened to burst out of her.  
  
Juba was also squirming in his chair. So now we are free, he thought. Do I go home to my family or stay here?  
  
Lucilla spoke. "Where is your family?" she asked.  
Juba recoiled a bit but thought hard. "They are underneath the same stars as all of us and three days and nights from the city." He looked at her and squeezed Maximus' hand. He didn't move. "What will happen to the emperor, my Lady?"  
Lucilla couldn't take it anymore. She stood up and walked out the doors of the room, leaving Juba alone to stare after her.  
* * *  
In the marble atrium of the Imperial Palace, Senator Gracchus paced back and forth, still in his white robe and listening to the very unfamiliar sounds of silence that echoed from the Colosseum. He shook his head, thankful that the young Emperor had not done away with him. Now that Rome was to be a republic once more, and he was to be in power, along with the rest of the Senate, what was to happen? Would Commodus be arrested? And what of his sister?  
Gracchus rubbed his eyes. It had been he who had convinced Lucilla to tell Quintus about Marcus Aurelius' murder. The fool. If he had stopped the fight earlier, then Maximus would have been alright. Now he would go home to his family and leave Rome to be taken up in corruption again if the Senate did not hold.  
And what of the army? The legions had always been the secret holder of power in Rome and did whatever controlled them to do. Now that the Emperor was gone, who was to command through the Senate? Surely the public was too ignorant of their own politics to understand how much corruption went on inside the great palace, so Gracchus was, sadly, not too worried about that.  
Another worry was nudging him. He made up his mind, walked out of the atrium and down the vast steps of the Palace towards the mighty Colosseum, where he entered in through a dark door that led downwards underground and through many halls and passageways, where the foul stench of death tugged at his robe. This was where he had been captive for the night before. Why hadn't Commodus just killed him?  
As he walked further into the depths of the arena, it grew cooler and soon the Senator had reached the area where the prisoners were kept. There were none there right now; they had all been released. But at the end of the hallway, there was a mass of Praetorian who stood in front of a cage that was heavily barred. Early morning light poured into it from a high barred window that you could easily see the Colosseum out of if you could reach it.  
And when Gracchus reached the cell, he remained expressionless as he stared down at the young Emperor, who was cowering on the floor. He seemed not to have noticed the Senator's presence. He was still wearing his white-gold armor. No one had bothered to remove it.  
"So," stated Gracchus.  
Commodus looked up.  
"Here we are," Gracchus finished.  
Commodus didn't bother to stand up. He peered at the Senator with a look that could almost be as hate-filled as his face for Maximus. "Who are the people to call you a Senator?" he spat. "You are a plague on this city. Speak for the people, you don't even."  
"I wouldn't waste my breath, you'll need as much energy as you can spare," replied Gracchus, just as coldly. "Prison walls are not very pleasant to be enclosed into. I would know," he said.  
Commodus gritted his teeth in frustration but remained silent.  
Gracchus stepped right up to the bars of the cell. "I hope you enjoyed what little time you had ruling this city," he whispered. "You will never set foot in the Imperial Box again."  
Commodus lunged at the Senator. He gripped the iron bars in front of him and was pushed back by one of the guards.  
"Back!" he cried.  
"I won't be in here forever!" rasped Commodus. "Commodus' progeny will rule Rome!"  
  
"Back!" yelled the Praetorian guard.  
Gracchus and Commodus stared evenly at eachother, with mutual hatred. Then Gracchus slowly bowed and raised up again. "Your highness."  
Then he strode away from the cell where Commodus still stood, seething. 


	4. Confessions

A/N: Ok, so I know I haven't updated in.forever. But a certain Salazar wanted me to, so I'll grit my teeth and do it. Plus, I don't own Maximus, Commodus, Lucilla or that fabulous Colosseum. (Ooh, it's so pretty.) Enjoy! (  
  
"When did you get the chance to inform Quintus of - ?" Gracchus's words trailed off at the look on Lucilla's face. He took a breath and started again, rephrasing the difficult sentence he had started before. "When did you tell him about what Commodus was doing to Maximus?"  
  
Lucilla put her hands to her face in frustration. It had been a long day and nothing good had come of it yet. "I was in pure shock that he even got the Praetorian's attention over all the noise in the ring! I only told Quintus about what happened to my father" - here she winced - "on the night that all the Senators were killed!"  
  
When Gracchus looked confused, she hastily explained. "When I went to tell Maximus about the plan for his escape to Ostia, I was taking the underground passageway that leads under the cells and straight to the Colosseum. After we had spoken, I ran into Quintus. The man was actually lurking in the shadows, like the puppet that he was!"  
  
Lucilla strode around the room where only a couple of nights ago she, Gracchus and Maximus had laid out the plan for his escape. Gracchus had been right, she thought bitterly. Proximo was right. It didn't work. Gracchus stood at the doorway, gripping his robe tightly as the princess paced nervously, listening intently to her tale.  
  
She continued, barely above a whisper. "He almost ran away from me but then I started to yell at him, about how he was a betraying, lying snake and deserved to die" - here, her voice gained a bitter note - "and he just stared at me, until I blurted out how Maximus had been dying ever since he had almost been executed by the Praetorians, on that night."  
  
Gracchus stared. "What in God's name are you talking about? Do you not think that he knew what the Emperor was up to? He was his right hand man! He knew everything that he had up his sleeve!"  
  
"That is what I thought as well," gasped Lucilla. "But as soon as I mentioned my father, a sort of shadow passed over his eyes, as if all the light from them, or what was left of it, was gone. He couldn't have known."  
  
Lucilla and Gracchus were back in the empty, desolate atrium, just hours after Gracchus had last seen Commodus in his prison cell. Tired but determined, they had gone over the events of the last twenty-four hours over and over again, trying to make some good of it. Lucilla had just blurted out to Gracchus the secret conversation she had had with him, on her way to see Maximus.  
  
Gracchus took a deep breath. "My Lady, there is something I have to confess as well." He paused for a second but not long enough to let her speak. "That night, when I was in jail, I made a black bargain with the Praetorian watching over me in the cell. I told him to go and fetch the servant Quintus if he wanted to hear something well worth his while."  
  
Lucilla's breathing quickened.  
  
"It surprises me that he even listened to me. A half hour later, Quintus showed up and we made one of the dirtiest deals I have ever made in my whole lifetime. We told him if he stripped Commodus of his powers, that we would fully grant the Senate's power over to the Legions, and they would be able to elect a new leader and make all formal decisions for the country."  
  
"But the Senate didn't hold much power at the time," interjected Lucilla. "Why would he listen to you?"  
  
"A few documents signed by your father were found, proclaiming Rome to become Republic and fully granting the Senate power when Maximus was to become Emperor. If the Praetorian took the bargain, they would have to believe what the documents were about."  
  
Lucilla was speechless. "I guess what you're saying makes sense. Commodus treats his soldiers like shit. Not many knew that."  
  
"I did," said Gracchus with a bitter grin.  
  
"So now Rome will become a militarized country, quite possibly worse off than we were before, am I right?" Lucilla started to understand the risk that Gracchus had taken to rid Rome of Commodus. "As if it wasn't worse off out there on the streets already!"  
  
"I did what I had to do! Commodus would have killed you eventually! What about your son, Lucilla?"  
  
Lucilla turned away from him. Their shouts had begun to echo off the walls. "We will still need a Senate of some sort," she muttered.  
  
"The legions would have to elect them," said Gracchus.  
  
"Oh, God!" yelled Lucilla. "What else did you put into this bargain?"  
  
Gracchus took a deep breath. " I told them that they would get power if they installed Maximus into the Senate and arrested Commodus when Quintus gave the order. Only Quintus isn't quite the brave lad he appears to be, as we both know."  
  
Lucilla nodded.  
  
"So he waited until the last possible second to arrest your brother and in doing so, almost got Maximus killed. Now I don't know what to think."  
  
A faint voice called from behind the Senator. "My Lady." It was one of Lucilla's ladies-in-waiting.  
  
"Yes, Jesminda?" replied Lucilla, trying to hide her distress on her face.  
  
"Your son is calling for you," the young girl stated, bowing her head.  
  
Lucilla rushed from the room. The young servant girl acknowledged Gracchus, who did so back, and both turned on their heels from the echoing chamber, the only sound heard being the distant footsteps from three tense Romans. 


End file.
